First it was the Patriots. Then the Red Sox and after that it was the Celtics. At this point, Boston should have an idea of how to handle these championship celebrations and large gatherings in their downtown area. If we thought there were a lot of people in Vancouver for the big Game 7 viewing (approx 100,000), just imagine the crowd expected to gather around Boston Common and Copley Square.

Officials are bracing the city for a million fans to join in the celebration on Saturday morning. That’s not an exaggeration—they are literally expected one million human beings hoping to catch a glimpse of the Stanley Cup and/or their victorious team. It’s hard to believe Chicago estimated TWO million happy humans for their parade last season! From the Boston Herald, here are the plans for the celebration:

“The Boston Bruins will hold an invite-only ceremony inside the TD Garden which will be simulcast to big screens in the Boston Common and Copley Square, where they will have a formal presentation ceremony as well as speeches from the owners and players.

Police also said today they expect 1 million fans to pour into the city tomorrow to watch the parade.

The event will take place before the so called “rolling rally” that will take the players and the trophy through the city on Duck Boats. There will be no stops along the rally route, which will end at Copley Plaza.”

On the heels of the riots in Vancouver, a crowd that size is bound to have city leaders a bit apprehensive. The difference is the celebratory tone of the party should produce a completely different atmosphere. Moreover, the city is doing its best to spread the party out as much as possible; their tactic is to avoid a centralized meeting place. All of the speeches will be delivered inside the TD Garden to an invitation-only crowd. Once completed, the team will travel along the parade route giving fans ample opportunity to see the team and the famous trophy. Without a centralized area, the city will be able to deliver the resources needed for a gathering that size. In other words, it’s easier to make sure everyone has a restroom they can frequent after copious amounts of Samuel Adams.

Even though fans have the opportunity to check out their favorite Bruins from any point on the parade route, if they really want to see anything, some insiders say fans might want to seek higher ground or a place to watch it on television. There’s no word if the Bruins sold the broadcast rights.